He began recording in 1970 with the LP Small Talk at 125th and Lenox with the assistance of Bob Thiele Flying Dutchman Records, co-writer Brian Jackson, Hubert Laws, Bernard Purdie (who later recorded "Delights of the Garden" with The Last Poets), Charlie Saunders, Eddie Knowles, Ron Carter and Bert Jones, all jazz musicians (see 1970 in music). The album included the aggressive diatribe against white-owned corporate media and middle-class America's ignorance of the problems of inner cities in songs such as Whitey On The Moon.
The 1971 Pieces of a Man used more conventional song structures than the loose, spoken word feel of his first, though he didn't reach the charts until 1975 with "Johannesburg". His biggest hit was 1978's "The Bottle", produced by Heron and longtime partner Brian Jackson, which peaked at #15 on the R&B charts (see 1978 in music).
In 2001, Gil Scott-Heron was sentenced to one to three years' imprisonment in New York State for possession of cocaine. While out of jail in 2002, he appeared on the Blazing Arrow album by Blackalicious. He was released on parole in 2003. On July 5, 2006, Scott-Heron was sentenced to two to four years in a New York State prison for violating a plea deal on a drug-possession charge by leaving a drug rehabilitation center. Scott-Heron's sentence was to run until July 13, 2009. He was paroled on May 23, 2007. The reason given for the violation of his plea was that the clinic refused to supply Scott-Heron with HIV medication. This story led to the presumption that the artist is HIV positive.
After his release, Scott-Heron began performing live again, starting with a show at SOBs in New York on September 13, 2007. On stage, he stated that he and his musicians were working on a new album and that he had resumed writing a book titled The Last Holiday, previously on long-term hiatus, about Stevie Wonder and his successful attempt to have the birthday of Martin Luther King Jr. declared a federally recognized holiday in the United States.
He was arrested October 10, 2007, the day before a scheduled (but ultimately cancelled) second SOBs performance, on felony possession of cocaine charges. However, he has continued to make live appearances at various US venues during the course of 2008 and 2009, including further appearances at SOBs in New York. He has also stated in interviews that work is continuing on his new album, which will consist mainly of new versions of some of his classic songs plus some cover versions of other artists' work.
Having originally planned to publish The Last Holiday in 2003, before it was put on hold, Canongate Books now tentatively intend to issue it in January, 2011. The book was due to be previewed via a website set to be launched on April 1, 2009, but this did not appear.
Mark T. Watson, a student of Scott-Heron's work, dedicated a collection of poetry to Gil titled Ordinary Guy that contained a foreword by Jalal Mansur Nuriddin of The Last Poets. The book was published in the UK in 2004 by Fore-Word Press Ltd. Scott-Heron recorded one of the poems in Watson's book Black & Blue due for release in 2008 as part of the album Rhythms of the Diaspora by Malik & the OG's on the record label CPR Recordings.
Gil Scott-Heron released his new album I'm New Here on independent label XL Recordings on February 9, 2010. Produced by XL label owner Richard Russell, 'I'm New Here' is Scott-Heron's first album in thirteen years.The pair started recording the album in 2007, with the majority of the record being recorded over the last twelve months with engineer Lawson White at Clinton Studios in New York. In 2009, a new Gil Scott-Heron website, www.gilscottheron.net , was launched with a brand new track 'Where Did The Night Go' made available as a free download from the site.
In 2011, Scott-Heron released "We're New Here" a remix album which was a collaboration with Jamie xx, a member of the British indie band The xx. Scott-Heron died in New York City on May 27, 2011.
Vulture
Gil Scott-Heron Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Of another Black man's life,
Or flying through the valley
He's separating day and night.
"I am death," cried the Vulture.
"For the people of the light."
Charon brought his raft
And saw the scavenger departing,
Taking warm hearts to the cold.
He knew the ghetto was the haven
For the meanest creature ever known.
In a wilderness of heartbreak
And a desert of despair,
Evil's clarion of justice
Shrieks a cry of naked terror.
Taking babies from their mamas
And leaving grief beyond compare.
So if you see the Vulture coming,
Flying circles in your mind,
Remember there is no escaping
For he will follow close behind.
Only promised me a battle,
Battle for your soul and mine.
He taking babies from their mamas
And he's leaving
Leaving
Leaving
Leaving
Leaving
The song Vulture by Gil Scott-Heron is a poignant and powerful commentary on the state of Black communities in America, particularly those living in poverty-stricken ghettos in major cities. The lyrics evoke a sense of hopelessness, desperation, and fear that pervades these neighborhoods, where death and destruction are commonplace. The vulture in the song represents the forces of oppression, which prey on the weak and vulnerable, symbolized by the Black man whose life lies in ruins.
Scott-Heron contrasts the vulture's predatory behavior with Charon's role as a ferryman, transporting souls across the river Styx in Greek mythology. Charon represents a kind of benevolent guide, ushering people to the afterlife, while the vulture symbolizes death and despair. The reference to the "sea that sails on souls" is a poetic allusion to the river Styx, which is said to flow through the underworld. Scott-Heron's use of mythology adds another layer of meaning to the song, as it suggests that the struggle of Black people against oppression is a timeless one that has echoes in ancient lore.
The chorus of the song is particularly haunting, with the repetition of the phrase "taking babies from their mamas" underscoring the brutal reality of violence and death in these communities. The vulture is portrayed as a ruthless predator, preying on the innocent and vulnerable, leaving a trail of grief and heartbreak in its wake. Scott-Heron's lyrics capture the senseless tragedy of this situation, the hopelessness of those who must endure it, and the urgent need for change.
Line by Line Meaning
Standing in the ruins
Of another Black man's life,
The Vulture is seen amidst the wreckage of another black man's life.
Or flying through the valley
He's separating day and night.
The Vulture is seen soaring through the valley, marking the separation between life and death.
"I am death," cried the Vulture.
"For the people of the light."
The Vulture proclaims itself as death, coming for those who have seen the light.
Charon brought his raft
From the sea that sails on souls,
Charon, the boatman of the underworld, arrives with his raft that sails on the souls of the departed.
And saw the scavenger departing,
Taking warm hearts to the cold.
Charon observes the Vulture leaving, taking the warm hearts of those who have died and leaving them in the cold embrace of the afterlife.
He knew the ghetto was the haven
For the meanest creature ever known.
Charon knew that the ghetto was where the Vulture found solace, being the meanest creature known to man.
In a wilderness of heartbreak
And a desert of despair,
The Vulture thrives in an environment rife with heartbreak and despair.
Evil's clarion of justice
Shrieks a cry of naked terror.
The Vulture's sinister call to action invokes a sense of fear and dread.
Taking babies from their mamas
And leaving grief beyond compare.
The Vulture plucks young babies from the arms of their grieving mothers, leaving them with inconsolable sorrow.
So if you see the Vulture coming,
Flying circles in your mind,
If you feel the presence of the Vulture looming in your thoughts,
Remember there is no escaping
For he will follow close behind.
know that there is no escape, for the Vulture will always be close behind.
Only promised me a battle,
Battle for your soul and mine.
The Vulture presents itself as a worthy adversary in the battle for one's soul.
He taking babies from their mamas
And he's leaving
Leaving
Leaving
Leaving
Leaving
The Vulture takes babies from their mothers, and leaves them alone in their despair, as it flies away, leaving them to suffer alone.
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: GIL SCOTT-HERON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind